Page 42 of Deliverance

Although I can feel Alaric’s unease, he doesn’t let any of that show in his expression. He faces his father’s disapproval with confidence. “Yes, our bond is sealed.”

The king’s expression morphs into one of rage, his hands balled into fists at his sides. Static seems to fill the room, the air turning cold as clouds slide across the previously clear blue sky. “How could you be so careless?” King Rex shouts, showing his sharp teeth in a clear threat. “You are supposed to marry strategically, and now you have ruined that by not being able to keep it in your pants.”

Confounded, I watch with dumbstruck humiliation. There were many scenarios that played out in my mind in which I met Alaric’s father, but this was never one of them. He can barely stand to look at me and is making it very clear that I am not suitable for his son.

Snarling, Alaric takes a threatening step forward. “She is mymate.” The emphasis on his last word clearly shows that it has more significance to them than I can comprehend. “It was out of our control.”

Alaric’s father doesn’t seem disturbed by this show of dominance. In fact, he seems grimly amused by the display. “You knew that if you fucked your potential mate that it would seal the bond forever.”

Alaric knew we would be bonded when we fucked. Shocked, I let that sink in. He told me there was no going back when we fucked, but I thought he meant emotionally, not that we would be bound together for all time. Being his mate feels right, like Iam made for this, so I am not upset about being connected to him. However, he knew about the mate bond. He should have told me, so I could understand and willingly make that decision.

I turn to look up at Alaric. He can feel my emotions, the tight twist of his lips giving him away, but he keeps his attention on his father. “I didn’t know she was my mate! I felt the connection, but I didn’t think humans and fae could form the bond.”

Wait. Is he saying that he didn’t think a mating bond could happen between us because we are from different races? Does that change anything? The hurt and disappointment I feel eases a little as I continue to watch him. If this is the case, then he wouldn’t have told me about something that he thought was impossible. Given our connection, I still think he should have mentioned the possibility, but I can understand why he didn’t. At least, if that is what truly happened anyway. Now is not the time for this, but I am not going to let this issue go, needing to hear it from him directly.

The king rubs his chin, his expression contemplative. He lifts his gaze, looking at me with a frown. A low growl from Alaric has the king looking away from me and back to his son, his frown deepening.

“Does anyone else know about this?”

Alaric shakes his head. “No, just the three of us.”

The king’s advisor steps closer and whispers something in his ear. King Rex sighs and scrubs a hand over his face, appearing weary. “Good, that makes things easier.” Puffing out a tense breath, he crosses his arms over his chest. “We need to dissolve your bond. This will ruin everything.”

Alaric moves before I even register what the king is saying, barrelling towards his father with clear intent. He’s going to attack him. The two fae clash with a meaty thud and tumble to the floor in a pile of limbs.

A gasp rips from my throat, and I instinctively move forward, the bond screaming that my mate needs me. I know that I would only be a hindrance, and a small voice is shouting that in my mind, but I can’t hear it over the insistent bond. Heneedsme. A pair of arms wraps around me and halts my movement, and it takes me a second to realise it’s Blaise.

“Don’t,” he hisses in my ear. “You don’t want to get caught between those two, especially with the mate bond ruling Alaric right now.”

Despite his words, I can feel how tense he is and know he wants to jump in and help his friend.

The two fae grapple on the floor, hissing like wild animals. Alaric looks completely feral, his usual composure gone. The air seems to thicken and feels ionised, the hair on my arm standing on end. This is my only warning as a bright flash outside the window splits the light in the room, seeming to steal it for a moment and plunging us into darkness. It returns a moment later, but I am completely shaken by the whole thing. Where did the lightning come from? The resulting boom seems to shake the whole castle, the floor rumbling beneath my feet. Blaise curses and guides me backward, his expression one of trepidation.

Out of nowhere, guards appear, racing forward with their fae speed and glistening armour, their swords raised as they move to protect their king. They pause when they see the attacker is the prince, but this doesn’t last long.

They are going to use those weapons on Alaric. You don’t get away with attacking the king without paying for it.

Heart in my throat, I fling myself forward, fighting against Blaise’s hold. He curses and tries to talk to me, but I have blinders on, needing to get to my mate. I have no chance of escaping Blaise, but that doesn’t stop me from trying, my hands scratching at his as I thrash and buck. Alaric needs me. He isabout to get hurt, and the mate bond is taut between us. There is no disobeying it, my entire world is this male.

“No,” I shout, my voice ripping from my throat with an authority I have never used before. I could have sworn the guards paused for a moment, shuddering as though something settled on them, but they don’t stop, surrounding the two males as they try to work out how to separate them without hurting the king.

“Stand down,” the king hisses, wiping away a trail of blood from the corner of his mouth, his upper lip swollen. “This needs to happen.”

There is more going on here than just fighting over me, that is clear from the look of disdain the king wears. The two males continue to grapple, trying to get the upper hand, although as I watch them, they seem to be pretty evenly matched. The king manages to break free of Alaric’s hold, and the two of them step back in defensive crouches, waiting for the other to make a move.

“I do not care who you are to me. You will not lay a hand on her unless you wish to lose that hand,” Alaric warns, his words both a promise and a threat as he circles the space the guards created around them.

The king stares at his son like he doesn’t recognise him. The tightness in his snarl and rage in his eyes show exactly how angry he is about this whole debacle. Is it the fact that Alaric mated with me that makes him so mad, or because his son chose to defy him?

“Please, Your Majesty. You cannot separate us, we were meant to be together,” I plead, fear and uncertainty causing me to feel nauseous, my hands trembling. If I play to his benevolent side, then surely he will listen to us and realise how detrimental separating us would be. This is his son, he has to want to put the needs of his child at the forefront of his decisions, right?

The room seems to darken again, and that strange feeling I now associate with impending lightning fills the air. The king stands to his full height, the blinding flash of lightning cracking across the sky behind him. I wasn’t sure before, but now I am sure of it—the king is somehow controlling the lightning. Every time his anger rises, lightning cleaves the clouds.

It appears I am wrong about appealing to the king’s softer side. He looks furious, and if anything, my words only made things worse. Making his body physically larger than mine, he attempts to make me feel small and put me in my place. It’s working.

I attempt to take a step back, but Blaise’s hold keeps me in place. “Do not show fear,” he murmurs in my ear so quietly I almost don’t catch it. I understand what he’s saying though. Backing away only makes me look weak, which won’t help anything.

“You dare to tell the Seelie king what he can and cannot do?” He laughs, the sound ugly and rough as he sneers at me. “You are a human, and the only reason I haven’t had you killed already is because you are part of the Unseelie curse.” His contempt and scorn are like physical blows, yet I try not to react, imagining a shield around me that they bounce off of.

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